ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the strengths and weaknesses of using various qualitative research methods in culturally diverse settings. It explores which aspects are most important when a researcher wants to conduct culturally responsive research. Underpinning qualitative research in education is the understanding of the critical role social and cultural contexts play in defining quality and relevance. The chapter mainly focuses on culturally responsive aspects in data-collection methods such as interviews, participant observations, illustrations and photography and offers a few examples of research in diverse contexts. The misuse of researchers' power positions can cause serious ethical breaches. Exhibiting ethical conduct in research that spans cultures requires researchers to be "honest in the negotiation of relations between the researcher and the researched". Qualitative research can be politically sensitive because it may reveal issues that tend to be overlooked in policy-guided monitoring and reporting. Qualitative research has the potential to create new approaches to transformations and processes by inquiring into diverse stakeholders' perspectives.
